Blogs - Industry/Product Flash Point
- America Will Be Energy Independent By 2030
Filed under: Energy, Economy
In less than 20 years, the United States will be energy independent. That's the upshot of a new report just published by BP, titled (appropriately) "BP Energy Outlook 2030."
During the next 18 years...
- The world's population will grow by 20%, to approximately 8.2 billion souls.
- Car ownership will rise three times as fast -- up 60% over the next 20 years.
- So even with gains in fuel efficiency, global energy demand will rise 40%.
- Most of that growth will come from China and...
America Will Be Energy Independent By 2030 originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-21T17:40:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
- The Tax Break That Millions Miss Out On
Filed under: Taxes
There's a popular tax break out there that paid more than 26 million workers a total of nearly $59 billion last year. Yet as many as 1 in 4 of those who qualify for this tax credit failed to claim it, missing out on hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars.
That break is the earned income tax credit. Designed to help low- and middle-income wage earners make ends meet, the credit helps reverse the effect of payroll taxes. Despite the best efforts of community organizations and various government...The Tax Break That Millions Miss Out On originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-21T17:00:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
- Wall Street Plays a Risky Game, Again
Filed under: Investing, Streetwise
A month and a half into the new year, all's well on the stock markets. Through the end of last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) had:
- 19 "up" days.
- Only 14 "down" days.
- Overall posted a 6% positive return for the year.
Taking note of the Dow's progress, The Wall Street Journal recently called its performance "eerie ... calm ... too quiet." Indeed, if things keep going at this rate, we're on track for the stock markets to gain more than 50% this year. Dow 18,000, anyone?
...Wall Street Plays a Risky Game, Again originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-21T15:20:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
- 3 Reasons Why You're Not Buying an Electric Car
Filed under: Technology, Ford Motor Co, Toyota, General Motors, Autos, Tesla Motors, Chevron
The electric car has arrived, but odds are that there isn't one in your driveway.
Several factors have gotten in the way of the eco-friendly automotive revolution, but at least now we can ask conspiracy theorists -- the ones arguing that oil companies and the government are blocking plug-in electric cars from the road -- to leave the room and take their tinfoil hats with them.
The electric car is here. Drivers simply have other plans.
What's wrong with electric cars?
Tesla Motors (TSLA)...3 Reasons Why You're Not Buying an Electric Car originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-21T13:20:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
- What to Watch This Week: Games, Stores, IPOs, and Nike Fuel
Filed under: Company News, Earnings, Macy's, Wal-Mart Stores, Target Corp, Saks, Nintendo
There's never a dull moment on Wall Street, especially now that the market's climbing as nicely as Jeremy Lin's stock over the past two weeks. Let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead.
1. Vital signs for Vita: The video game industry has been slowly slipping for three years, and Sony (SNE) has fared even worse.
Despite a series of price cuts on the PlayStation console over the years, the PS3 just isn't selling as briskly as the Xbox 360. Sony will turn its...
What to Watch This Week: Games, Stores, IPOs, and Nike Fuel originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-21T11:45:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
- Savings Experiment: Cell Phone Bills
Filed under: Technology, Savings Experiment, Lifestyle
View Poll
View Poll
Have you ever opened your cell phone bill and had the urge to, well, call for help? Between extra features, fees and...
Savings Experiment: Cell Phone Bills originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-21T10:00:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
3 Top Black Businesspeople Reflect on the Keys to Their Success
Filed under: People, Personal Finance
The formula for financial success is more than just saving your pennies, investing wisely and climbing the proverbial career ladder. It also requires the right mindset.
In honor of Black History month, DailyFinance asked three prominent African Americans to share their thoughts about what economic empowerment means to them, and illuminate what it takes to achieve it.
Carol Price, the CEO of beauty business Carol's Daughter; Robert Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television; and...3 Top Black Businesspeople Reflect on the Keys to Their Success originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-21T00:35:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Afraid of an IRS Audit? It's Not As Bad As You Think
Filed under: Taxes
No one is claiming that an IRS audit is a cakewalk. But rest assured, a tax audit is probably less likely -- and less gruesome -- than most people fear.
For starters, last year, only about 1% of taxpayers with incomes under $200,000 got audited. (If you're a millionaire, it's a different story -- fully 12% of them were audited, up from 8% in 2010 and 6% in 2009.)
Then there's the timing issue. The IRS isn't allowed to swoop down upon you just any old time. In most cases, the agency has only...
Afraid of an IRS Audit? It's Not As Bad As You Think originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-20T07:10:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
The Hidden $1,000 Bonus Obama Put in Your Paycheck
Filed under: Taxes
You remember what you did with the big bucks you saved last year thanks to the payroll tax cut, right? You don't? Well, you're not alone.
According to a survey by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, fully 66% of Americans didn't even notice that their paycheck had been padded. A New York Times/CBS News poll supports that, showing that most people (53%) think that President Obama has kept taxes the same for the majority of Americans, while 24% think he has raised them, and only 12%...
The Hidden $1,000 Bonus Obama Put in Your Paycheck originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-18T07:00:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Coffee Costs: 5 Ways to Save Money on K-Cups
Filed under: Starbucks, Target Corp, Amazon.com, Saving Money, Food & Drink
The convenience of single-cup coffeemakers is undeniable -- the sheer simplicity of popping a pod into a brewer that dishes out premium brew in a minute or two. There's no mess. There's no old coffee going bad.
It's no wonder more and more java sippers are tossing out their coffee pots for single-serve machines.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) shipped a whopping 4.2 million Keurig brewers through its partners during the holiday quarter. Revenue more than doubled to $1.16 billion as...Coffee Costs: 5 Ways to Save Money on K-Cups originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-18T07:00:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Should You Take That Big Retail Discount ... and the Credit Card That Comes With It?
Filed under: JP Morgan Chase, American Express, Target Corp, Amazon.com, Credit Cards
We're called consumers because we like to shop. And we're doing plenty of it, despite the recession.
A new survey sponsored by the Consumer Federation of America and American Savings Education Council found that more of us are living beyond our means and failing to save enough for emergencies or retirement. We're also doing less to build home equity.
Some of us are fighting that trend by using good balance transfers deals for slashing debt. But if the data is to be believed, more are...Should You Take That Big Retail Discount ... and the Credit Card That Comes With It? originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-18T06:30:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Survey Finds More Mature Workers Plan To Work Post-Retirement
Filed under: Retirement
By Debra Auerbach
"Retirement" used to mean the end of one chapter in life spent working and the beginning of a new chapter spent with family and friends, traveling or focusing on hobbies. Yet for many of today's mature workers, their picture of retirement looks very different. It no longer means the end of their career; instead, they are either staying longer at their current jobs or getting new jobs once retired. In fact, a new CareerBuilder study found that 57 percent of workers age 60 plus...Survey Finds More Mature Workers Plan To Work Post-Retirement originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-17T17:30:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Money and Power: The Richest and Poorest U.S. Presidents
Filed under: People, Features
Any way you look at it, being a former U.S. president is a nice gig: Between speaking fees, memoir advances, and a hefty pension (currently $199,700 per year), the job pays pretty well. Add in the fact that it follows a four- to eight-year run in a high-profile position that features a $400,000 salary and covers most expenses, and you're looking at a formula for long-term solvency.
Not surprisingly, America's presidents have generally been a wealthy lot: Of the 44 of them, only nine weren't...Money and Power: The Richest and Poorest U.S. Presidents originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-17T13:15:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Let the IRS Help Pay for Your Higher Education
Filed under: Taxes
The cost of getting an education has never been higher. But by taking advantage of some tax benefits that Uncle Sam provides, you can at least put a small dent in some of those costs.
Unfortunately, figuring out which tax benefits apply can be complicated. Let's take a look at the many provisions that help college students.
American Opportunity Tax Credit
Students can get a credit of up to $2,500 for each of the first four years of a college education. If you earn less than $90,000 as a...Let the IRS Help Pay for Your Higher Education originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-17T10:35:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
GM Posts Record Earnings: Is It Ready to Repay Bailout?
Filed under: Company News, Ford Motor Co, General Motors, Autos
Last year was one for the record books at General Motors (GM): 2011 was the most profitable year in the company's 103-year history.
Just a couple of years after the company's collapse into bankruptcy, GM's full-year income of $7.6 billion was remarkable. GM North America and GM International Operations (which includes China and Australia) posted solid profits after a year of increased sales that enabled GM to surpass Toyota (TM) to reclaim the title of global auto sales leader.
Also...GM Posts Record Earnings: Is It Ready to Repay Bailout? originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-17T09:30:00Z.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Savings Experiment: What's the Cheapest Long Distance?
Savings Experiment: Drop the Cell Phone Contract?